Subscribe to this blog

Follow by Email

Search This Blog

Pages

Breakfast with the guys

I
walk in late and find the bible study group heavily involved in a
discussion about naval strategy, Japanese zeros, and how one man of
our group survived a kamikaze pilot missing the ship he was on by
forty feet.

I
sat down and said nothing - for two reasons:

I
have never been involved in combat;

I
had no idea what motivated the conversation.

As
I was finishing my breakfast a clue finally arises as to what
triggered this conversation –

If
you had to take this at face value what might you learn from it? It
comes off as a strong position that possibly defends the right to do
violence in protecting one’s personal property.

One
of the men in our group quickly states that a Senator recently quoted
this verse, in a public forum defining America’s right and reason,
for not only going to war, but the budget behind it.

I
am not so sure we can take that kind of liberty with this passage.
Take a look at what Jesus told the disciples, primarily Peter, on the
night that he was taken.

Matthew
26:52 AMP Then Jesus said to him, Put your sword back into its
place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. [Gen. 9:6.]

I
tend to despise Pastors who are willing to say, “this is what he
was saying.” But pay attention to the language being used. He is
not denouncing them as vile sinners for considering violence. He is
merely stating an obvious fact, You will die in a sword fight,
especially if you are not trained to use it.

What
was Jesus response to James and John when they offered to call-fire
down upon a village that rejected the message.

Luke
9:54-56 NIV When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked,
"Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy
them?" (55) But Jesus turned and rebuked them. (56) Then he
and his disciples went to another village.

The
KJV (adds or includes) “You know not what manner of spirit you
are of.” The majority of text
and manuscripts exclude this last part.

I
think we have an example of the disciples attempting their idea of
the strongman role.

The
Greek word for rebuke is epitimaō.
If Thayer’s Greek Definitions, foremost explanation is”to show
honor to.” I can assure you that Jesus was not doing that to James
and John when they submitted the option of calling down fire on the
Samaritans’. But if, as Thayer’s continues to define, it means to
show the value of the same people they wanted dead, then that makes
all the sense in the world. And certainly qualifies as a rebuke.

There
is a context to everything and this is no exception. So
what was thecontextof
Luke 11:21?

This
was a statement that Jesus made, while talking about interactions
with demons.

Let’s
ponder this idea a moment.

Go
back to Luke 11:14 What provoked him to speak about the strong man?

Luke
11:14 CJB He was expelling a demon that was mute. When the demon had
gone out, the man who had been mute spoke; and the people were
astounded.

Matthew
stated:

Matthew
12:23 NIV All the people were astonished and
said, "Could this be the Son of David?"

He
had just spoken to the crowd in a manner which would have established
a tremendous amount of faith in the heart of a receptive hearer, and
now they have seen Jesus cast demons out of a man.

Matthew
12 has a parallel version of this, and adds a little insight.

Matthew
12:22-23 ESV Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was
brought to him,
and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. (23) And
all the people were amazed, and said, "Can this be the Son of
David?"

Why
would the statement, “Can this be the Son of David?” cause the
Jews a problem?

Let’s
assume they knew who he was physically. Jesus of Nazareth; born to
Mary; alleged by some to be Joseph’s son, and yet there are those
statements that Jesus keeps making about God being his father.

“We
know who our father is!”

In
John 8:14-18 Jesus told the pharisees that he knew where he came from
and where he was going. Their response:

John
8:19 MSG They said, "Where is this so-called Father of
yours?" Jesus said, "You're looking right at me and you
don't see me. How do you expect to see the Father? If you knew me,
you would at the same time know the Father."

Having
written on this before I discussed how Jesus would have been known as
a Momzer (There seems to be several spellings). The heartfelt meaning
behind the word is extremely hateful and derogatory - it means to be
illegitimate. This is precisely the vile hatred the Pharisees were
dishing out at this moment. His “heritage” was in question all
his life. With this kind of hatred surrounding him most
of the time it is no wonder that the Jews responded quickly to any
implication that Jesus was other than a man. That meant a complete
and total denial of Jesus statements about himself.

John
8:41 NIV You are doing the works of your own father." "We
are not illegitimate children," they protested. "The only
Father we have is God himself."

“Can
this be the Son of David?”

To
say this in a questioning way indicates that there is an implied
belief coming from the speaker, justifying the belief that Jesus is
the Son of God, and entitled to act as the Father would, in a
supernatural way.

They knew that only
God could do such things, as they just saw him do. There are few
reasonable options, the Jews had one more option. Since the crowd
seems to leaning toward believing that he is God, attribute his works
to the devil.

Yes
I know, the Jews used the term Beelzeboul.

From
Thayer’s definitions: Beelzebub = “lord of the house” 1) a name
of Satan, the prince of evil spirits

There
is something worthy of note in Luke’s passages.

Luke
11:14-15 ESV Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the
demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled.
(15) But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebul,
the prince of demons,"

Only
God has this kind of power over demons, so
who are we dealing with? We cannot accept the obvious for far too
many statements have been made to abase and deny him for us to back
down now, therefore driven by the god of this world they make what
Jesus calls blasphemous
statements.

Luke’s
account slides right past Jesus reaction, but Matthew’s version has
Jesus responding harshly to what they said, "He casts out
demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons," by saying:

Matthew
12:31-32 AMP Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy (every
evil, abusive, injurious speaking, or indignity against sacred
things) can be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the [Holy]
Spirit shall not and cannot be forgiven. (32) And whoever speaks a
word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks
against the Spirit, the Holy One, will not be forgiven, either in
this world and age or in the world and age to come.

I
suppose this is a migration off topic, but since Jesus said it,
I will address it.

I
have rarely ever heard anything that adequately explained what the
blasphemy was that could never be forgiven. And I always chuckle when
I hear Pastor Greg Laurie describe someone who says, “but Greg, I
have committed the unpardonable sin and God can’t forgive me.”
You don’t even know what it is and you have done it? The fact that
God is drawing you to him proves otherwise.

Here
it is -The Pharisees attributed his good works to
the devil.

Jesus,
only moments later said, “blasphemy against the Spirit(Presumed to be the Holy Spirit since the word used is pnuema,
the same word to describe the Holy Spirit.)

Mark’s
gospel backs this up and states it in stronger tones.

Mark
3:28-29 NIV Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins
and every slander they utter, (29) but whoever blasphemes
against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an
eternal sin."

One
of the men in our group, a Catholic, was really struggling with the
concept of the Trinity, and longed for someone to find passages
that established the concept. Jesus verbally demonstrated the
trinityin
a matter of seconds.

Only
God could do what he just did.

Jesus
just delivered a man from the demonic right in front of them,
proving that he was God in the flesh.

He
told them that what they saw was the Spirit, the third part
of the trinity.

Luke
11:17-26 NIV Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: "Any
kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided
against itself will fall. (18) If Satan is divided against himself,
how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive
out demons by Beelzebul. (19) Now if I drive out demons by
Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they
will be your judges. (20) But if I drive out demons by the finger
of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. (21) "When
a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are
safe. (22) But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he
takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his
plunder. (23) "Whoever is not with me is against me, and
whoever does not gather with me scatters. (24) "When an impure
spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking
rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house
I left.' (25) When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and
put in order. (26) Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more
wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final
condition of that person is worse than the first."

Jesus
continued to speak about overpowering the strong man, Satan, for
several minutes.

Did
you catch that? The man’s condition could have been any number of
things but Jesus attributes his condition solely to the devil.
I am not sure that we can attribute everything to the devil but I
believe that this moment, captured in scripture, demonstrates who we
are dealing with, all the time.

I
have a friend who struggles with depression and mental illness. They
may never be completely well while living on this earth. How many of
these issues that we deal with are demonically based?

I
suppose that brings me to some other aspects of the mornings
conversations.

If
you believe that Luke 11:21 inspires you to get physical with
someone, does that mean you are capable or that it even justifies
your self-protective methods.

Someone
quickly pointed out that Paul was sent out a window, by way of a
basket, to make good his escape from the angry Jews that were coming
to get him. (2 Cor 11:33)

How
many of us think they can respond like Steven Seagal, Chuck Norris,
or this internet self-protection guru, Captain Chris. These, to me,
are guys that are highly capable, and seemingly fearless. Any of
whom could disarm you and then calmly hand your arm back to you, but
I cannot do that, never could. It requires speed and agility and I
have neither.

But
this is a spiritual battle we are in, so how does any of that
relate?

If
I was a shade younger, I might train for a time when I might have to
react to one of those bad moments, by learning some new skills,
improving my speed, and actively practicing; in general, becoming
more skillful and confident.

(Surprisingly,
I had knives pulled on me twice when I was younger. I do not remember
fear at all, but I had no clue what to do outside of talking. I
remember being surprisingly calm and really did not expect to be
injured. Later in life there have been situations that made me wish I
was physically more assertive. I think many of those types of
thoughts stem from ideals pushed at us by peers, and our general wish
to enjoy our freedoms, especially when I am not bothering anyone.)

How
do we apply what Jesus did to our own lives?; How equipped do you
feel to tackle the demonic illness of someone?; How could you improve
your ability to respond?

Not
quite as clear-cut is it.

The
beginning of any process like this is faith. Jesus had faith and
confidence in the Father, not only in what the Father said, but in
what He could do. There was nothing impossible to the Father,
therefore there was nothing impossible to the Son. Since we are in
Him, there should be nothing impossible to us either.

God
made us to be in him through the death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ, his Son. It is our acceptance of that mercy that brings us
into this adoption. Religion will do it’s best to confuse you here,
for they want to see total and absolute change in you, an
instantaneous halo sprouting over your head, and a rapid and complete
turn around in your actions.

Consider
something. If you adopted several children of various ages, including
a few video game playing, MTV watching teens, what might you expect
from them? Very slow transitions to what you consider normal.
Do you think God has it that much different with us?

He
loved us, unworthy as we are, paid a price for us that does not make
sense, and accepts us as his own, bad attitudes and all.

Yes,
he does ask us to take out the trash and do the dishes once in a
while, that is part of being in a family, which we are. And we call
those chores trials and tribulations. Sure I am being simplistic in
stating it like this, but it is the internal struggles that those
chores and interactions with others create, that God uses to hone us
and make us more like him while we are on this earth, in these sin
broken bodies. And, it
is in these sin broken, adopted bodies that we are asked to step up
and be like Jesus.

You
see scripture is not just a tedious collection of reading material;
it is a training manual with graphic language that creates images in
your spirit, demonstrating how you are to respond. No one said to
Jesus, here is a demonized man, with all sorts of problems for you
to figure out, now do something with him! Jesus merely did what
his training had taught him to do, just like a paramedic might.

Can
I gain the confidence to attack the enemy's camp merely by investing
time in the Word?

I
do not see why not. If that is the case, then why are there not more
people willing to tackle the devil’s work in the lives of people?

Having
watched a few of the Discovery Channel shows about fight science,
where a couple of healthy young men learn a new fighting style
which always involves physical exertion, pain, and getting severely
knocked around by those who are better and perhaps stronger as they
learn the new skill set, I mentally understand the pain involved in
learning something like this.

Maybe
God already thought through the learning curve aspect.

Obviously
not everything involves pain like the martial arts, but there are
many things, that by nature of their circumstances have pain
included. Anything new has a learning curve; what that means is that
some things take time as you build the skill sets in you to make it
work most effectively. Now apply that to dealings with the demonic.
Few are equipped and willing to bring others through a teaching of
that nature. Jesus told us that some demons will only come out by
preparation that involves much prayer; that is not something that you
should do in the middle of the action, it is something that should be
a lifestyle. By saying that God may have thought this all through is
really taking a tremendous pressure off of us, for though it is right
and necessary to prepare, Jesus already did the hard work for us.

Luke
11:22 states,

“But
when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the
armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder.”

Someone
stronger has already attacked and overpowered the “strongman”;
his name is Jesus.

Along
this thought line, I went to a “bible study” recently where we
read the last four chapters of Paul’s letter to Timothy, and then
we were asked to talk about our favorite aspect of the reading. A
little inundating, but several things caught my attention.

This
was one of them:

1
Timothy 4:7-8 NIV Have nothing to do with godless myths and old
wives' tales; rather, train
yourself to be godly.
(8) For physical training is of some value, but godliness
has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life
and the life to come.

Paul
is telling young Timothy, “..physical
training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things,
holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”
I do not suspect Paul was telling him to prepare for the day they
might be thrown to the lions, merely pointing out that is has
benefits.

We
flew through these passages so fast. I think everyone reads just to
get done with it. Odd how something catches your eye, but verse seven
just jumped out at me.

“...train
yourself to be godly.”

What
if this book we call the bible had this title instead, “Train
yourself to be Godly” How
many people would even look at it? Some, but most would not. And yet
this is the key to this life we live on this earth.

We
are asked to be Godly, What does that look like?

It
is not mandatory to wear a long trench coat of camel’s hair and
live like a hermit in the desert. But God does ask us to do some hard
things like: holding our tongues at times; not responding in anger;
turning to the Father quickly when times get rough, and speaking and
acting out the things we saw Jesus do, in Jesus name.

Paul,
in writing to Timothy described the qualifications for someone who
wanted to be in a place of leadership over God’s people.

1
Timothy 3:1-12 NIV Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to
be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be:

above
reproach,

faithful
to his wife,

temperate,

self-controlled,

respectable,

hospitable,

able
to teach,

not
given to drunkenness,

not
violent but gentle,

not
quarrelsome,

not
a lover of money.

He
must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him,
and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect.

He
must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall
under the same judgment as the devil.

He
must also have a good reputation with outsiders,

be
worthy of respect,

sincere,

They
must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear
conscience.

As
I look at these, they are my desires for my life, and yes,
most of these, in my mind, disqualify me. Some, like myself, might
say, but I do not have the wish to lead, therefore these traits may
not apply to me so strictly. These then could be looked at as some of
the major things that define a Godly life, and really just a better
way to live.

Wouldn’t
it be nice if more people lived like this?

In
terms of qualifications – Moses, though educated, murdered a man.
Most would compare his bad moments against this list and disqualify
him too, but God looks upon the heart and God is the one that makes
the call as to whether you are supposed to lead or not. If God wants
it to happen he will make it happen.

I
hope I made some sense. As I read I think through what I am reading,
and most of the time this is about the way I see it. Staying on track
and focused can tend to be an issue with me. I have actually been
working on this “paper” for over a week, and I have had so many
other ways God has talked to me. I pray you find something in here
that speaks to you. Please read the passages, that is one of the
reasons why I include them. I believe it is so important for you read
them for yourself. The Word of God will give an insight into who He
is better than any man can do just telling you about Him. I guess
that means you need to hear His voice for yourself.

I
truly believe that we are in the last days. These are the days that
Peter spoke of on the day of Pentecost when he quoted from Joel
chapter 2. Joel chapter 2 is talking about the end, specifically the
time of Jacob’s trouble. But here is what I want you to see. These
people that Peter describes are filled with the power of the Holy
Spirit of God, and through that power they withstand the enemy.

Here
is an example:

2
Kings 1:1-10 NIV After Ahab's death, Moab rebelled against Israel.
(2) Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in
Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers, saying to them,
"Go and consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I will
recover from this injury." (3) But the angel of the LORD said
to Elijah the Tishbite, "Go up and meet the messengers of the
king of Samaria and ask them, 'Is it because there is no God in
Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of
Ekron?' (4) Therefore this is what the LORD says: 'You will not
leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!'" So
Elijah went. (5) When the messengers returned to the king, he asked
them, "Why have you come back?" (6) "A man came to
meet us," they replied. "And he said to us, 'Go back to the
king who sent you and tell him, "This is what the LORD says: Is
it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending messengers
to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not leave
the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!"'" (7)
The king asked them, "What kind of man was it who came to meet
you and told you this?" (8) They replied, "He had a
garment of hair and had a leather belt around his waist." The
king said, "That was Elijah the Tishbite." (9) Then he
sent to Elijah a captain with his company of fifty men. The captain
went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to
him, "Man of God, the king says, 'Come down!'" (10)
Elijah answered the captain, "If I am a man of God, may fire
come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!" Then
fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men.

This
happened twice. The third time the captain that came pleaded for
mercy from the man of God and Elijah came with him.

The
day is coming, and for some that day is here. Find out who you are!
Find out who God is inside of you! It is time to open your mouth and
declare “If I be a man of God ….” What ever needs to be done.
We are fighting a spiritual battle first and foremost, never forget
that, humans and beasts will bow their knee to the name and power
of Jesus Christ.

Having
recently discovered the Chronicles of Narnia, let me say. We are free
Narnians, all of us adopted, but some have never known not being free
men. As kings and queens of this fair land we need to act like it.
Act like nobility that God has made us to be.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I wrote this in response to a comment. I am including it for your benefit as misconceptions and false teachings run rampant. I rarely talk to anyone who has a firm grasp on what happens after the seven years of wrath. I hope you find this beneficial, and yes, it is long. Well, here it is three years since you wrote your comment and I am finally responding to it. I wish I could tell you why but I cannot remember now. Perhaps I can chalk it up to not having enough time at that point, but as I had only recently been fired from my last job back then, you might think I had nothing but time. Perhaps I did not have a clear answer and needed to develop a concrete response; or, maybe I just forgot. Regardless, another comment, just a few days ago - three years later, has brought your comment to my attention once again. Let me add, that in the process of learning how to deal with my thoughts on “paper” and then subject myself to potential criticism, was quite challenging. I can tell you that I …

I had been asked by my pastor to teach a couple of sessions out of one of the books from which he was yet to pick. When he named off the potential authors, I cringed internally as my pastor can turn anything into legalism. He settled on The Discipline of Fasting by Richard Foster. Considering my understanding of discipline and the belt my father used to administer that obedience, my stomach was turning. Add to that a verbal image portrayed by the pastor, in which he told us that the shepherd would snap the leg of the sheep which kept running astray. I can't remember anything about that story that would help to give it a redeeming quality. However, in relating this story to a friend recently, I pointed out how it was the shepherd's purpose and intent to sale unblemished lambs to the surrounding Jewish community, a necessity for sacrifices. Having broken the lamb's leg, it was now a cripple and unable to survive on its own. The shepherd was now responsible for this offending…

As I talked previously about Ezekiel's prophecy against Gog and his armies; and how they will be killed on the mountains of Israel; I explained how Israel gathers Gog's weapons for use as firewood for the next seven years. The time frame involved seemed so obvious to me, as this all happens moments before the rapture of the church and the Antichrist persona steps onto the stage. "On that day I will give Gog a burial ground there in Israel... So they will bury Gog there with all his horde, (Ezekiel 39:11 NASB) "For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them to cleanse the land .. (Ezekiel 39:12-13 NASB) An obvious factor that we tend to ignore in our group Bible studies is that Israel will still be filled with a level of violence during these burials. Think about what goes on there in Israel on a daily basis: rock throwing, stabbings, car rammings, and, an occasional bomb, but this is almost daily. And yet, at some crucial moment, when the world thinks t…

About Me

I have a couple of daughters. Two AS degrees but no bachelors degree. The longest time I spent at any one job was 15 years. I have not been the great success I had dreamed I would be, but I find that I am becoming more content. The most important thing to me any more is God's word. It is my passion. I am often thoroughly disgusted with the lack of enthusiasm that, so called Christians have for God's word. If the only person they destroyed, because of their lack of learning was themselves then I suppose that would be okay, but by spewing out things that are wrong or ridiculous they take others down with them.